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The Vibrators-PUNK'S SONIC GOURMANDIZERS LIVE AT CBGB'S 5.5.2000 CD (Almafame/Yeaah! UK)

After giving a whole lotta listen to proto-punk, avant-punk, groups who weren't punk but were punky, punk funk and various punk variations thereof, I discovered that I wasn't listening to any punk as in 1977 sunglasses and leather jackets sell newspapers with screaming headlines punk! That's the only reason I whipped out this still-sealed Cee-Dee outta the collection for a listen, because as far as that punk as pUnK stuff goes I really don't have that much of it in my handy dandy Cee-Dee collection. In fact I really have a dearth of it because as far as my musical tastes go these days I tend to prefer the Amerigan variety o' the punk form, or at least the stuff that seems to have a strong connection to the sixties via the post-Velvet Underground/Detroit breed of "aesthetics" that's a whole lot more bared-wire intense than a good portion of the English musical grime that was so prevalent during the way back when days.

So 's safe t' say that spinning this Vibrators disque recorded a good 23 years down the line at CBGB for the nouveau rich midagers is akin to what many of these still-touring punkers continue to dish out for those nostalgia-seeking baldoids and penny-pinchers who couldn't afford all those import prices back in '77. Mostly the quick 'n messy style of punk (not barring a few good heavy metal moves such as on "Troops of Tomorrow") with the big hits popping up at just the right moment all packaged in a nice jewel case with a book that rehashes the CBGB story once again incorrectly but at this point in time why bother complaining!

Knox seems to be in fine form and the rest of the group is nothing to complain about in their quest to crank out a decent drone to accompany Mr. Corcoran's ever-aging punk croak vocals and churn guitar. Nothing out of the ordinary to be found on this nice if sloppy crank out set which might disappoint those who know the group only from their original (and comparatively perfunctory) recordings, and if you can latch it up at the usual bargain prices bully for thee. And even a horse-blinkered soul such as I must admit that I got my share of enjoyment out of the thing even if it ain't one of those items I will be playing day in and day out for weeks on end like I do with various items that grace my ears and cut into the quick of my eternal being as Alan Watts might say. After all, when I tune into the groove of CBGB it's not quite for the likes of the Vibrators but the kind of acts that made that club one of the most popular hangouts in En Why See for over three decades. Acts like SANDY BULL, ETRON FOU LELOUBLAN, SONNY SHARROCK, BINKY PHILLIPS, MUSICA ORBIS, KONGRESS, DAVID PATRICK KELLY...